starwars_exodusfandomcom-20200216-history
Vex Salder
Vex Salder, native of Naboo, was raised by the Galactic Empire. He had no connections to family, which made him into an individual devoid of emotional attachments, and a dangerous man. Vex was a rare case of exemplary performance in the Empire, having attended the Imperial Military Academy on Carida and graduated with honors as both a stormtrooper and a pilot. It was this particular accomplishment that gained him the recognition to train on Yinchorr as an Imperial Royal Guard. To put all of his skills to practical use, Vex was given command over the classified and mysterious Phantom Squadron. Later, Vex branched off on his own and formed the Crimson Guard. He continued to operate as a loyal servant to the Empire and the Emperor, and even became an accomplished Jedi hunter. Following the Battle of Endor, Vex worked as a mercenary for several years, until he was approached by Keldon Tyfus. Offering him a position within the Shadow Imperium, Vex agreed to Tyfus's proposal under the condition that his duties from his time in the Empire were to be mimicked. Tyfus agreed to the condition, and shortly after Vex reformed the Crimson Guard, under the profile of highly specialized combatives. The numbers were kept minimal for several reasons, the most predominate being payroll issues. Vex and his Guard performed Special Operations missions for years following the organization's renewal, and come 15 ABY, Vex had two fully trained members of the Guard under his wing, with a third having branched off to form the Morgukai Shadow Army. He would later leave the Imperium, which was reorganized as the Crimson Empire, after realizing that it was only a matter of time before all participants of Darth Trayus's empire were doomed to share his fate, and took his Crimson Guard to its heritage roots: Yinchorr. History Early Life and Training Vex Salder was raised on Naboo, under the care of the Empire. With no knowledge of his parents, or any relatives of any sorts, he held no emotional connections with anyone, making him a dangerous individual. He was taken in to the Academy on Carida approximately three to four years before the Battle of Yavin, and graduated with honors in both combat and piloting, only to find himself becoming an Imperial Royal Guard. During his training as a Royal Guardsman, Vex met and befriended one Jhuston Vox. They were often pitted against each other in their training at the Squall, and were quick to prove themselves virtually equals in one-on-one combat. In an unusual display, when it came to their final tests, the two Guardsmen never faced each other. Emperor Palpatine grew fond of both of them, and noted that they were each ideal candidates for the elite of the elite in his armed forces. As such, in their class, only Vex and Jhuston survived their trials and were officially denoted Royal Guards by the Emperor himself. Life in the Guard , on guard duty.]] Early on in his life as a Royal Guard, Vex was one of an undetermined amount of Guardsmen to be at Palpatine's side, and he served with distinction. It wasn't long until his skills put him in a different position, however, and Vex was transferred to a commanding rank over a rare group of individuals with similar, or exact, training as his own. The name, purpose, and roster of this squadron were all kept in the highest echelon of secrecy in the Empire, and as such, they were often referred to as Phantom Squadron. Three years prior to the Battle of Endor, Vex was already well along his way toward becoming something to be feared in the Empire. During his extensive training in melee weapons, Vex began to grow particular with the usage of the Vibro Double-Blade and Blackhand Annihilator. His talents were so particular that Emperor Palpatine himself opted to grant him extensive liberties in his assignments, and effectively became a Secret Ops agent for the Emperor. During his exploits across the galaxy, Vex relentlessly subdued uprisings and quelled rebellions, further granting him loyalty to the Emperor. Palpatine was so impressed, that he gave Vex a formal rank of captain, and assigned him to COMPNOR, under a special, new division. Vex was granted full creativity and flexibility with his new duties, and stationed himself on Naboo, whereupon the alleged Crimson Guard was formed. This group of combat specialists wore black and red composite armor, to reflect on Vex's own black and red Royal Guard armor. Leading up to the events of the Battle of Endor, the Crimson Guard was fully dedicated to the Emperor himself, combating those whom opposed Palpatine's rule, and the government that had resulted. Oftentimes, however, Vex was not present during these battles. Further, Salder made it a point to continue to pursue a special assignment of his own making, approved by the Emperor - the hunting and eradication of all remaining Jedi. During one of these missions, Vex was trailing a Jedi Knight through the Outer Rim, one whom had survived Order 66 and intended to resurrect the Jedi Order. He ruthlessly pursued this Jedi for several months, until he finally squared off with him in the Corporate Sector. After a heated duel, the Royal Guard emerged victorious, and once he collected his lightsaber trophy, made his way back to Naboo. Though not without a cost: during the fight, he suffered a lightsaber wound that left a ghastly scar across his face. Rather than hiding from it, he chose to showcase it as proof of his capabilities. However, he would not return to Naboo. On his way back to the planet, he caught big news - news that had, slowly but surely, destroyed his life, and everything he stood for. In a dramatic battle in the Endor System, the second Death Star, along with Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine and nearly all the Empire's Grand Admirals, were destroyed. Furthermore, in that one shattering blow to the Empire, the New Order Palpatine had created was slowly tearing itself apart. Investigations in the matter proved to be true, as Vex scoured the galaxy, checking his facts and even visiting the Emperor's Palace, only to discover that even the Empire acknowledged their leader's death. At this, Vex returned to Naboo, only to find that the Crimson Guard had been destroyed, and those few remaining survivors from the elite caste had been recalled to other duties within other arenas of the Empire. A Broken Allegiance Nothing was left for the Royal Guard, and so he disconnected himself from his allegiances. His loyalties were to the Emperor, and his Empire. And now, those loyalties were over, as the Emperor was dead, and his Empire was dieing. Not much was known about what happened to Vex after the Emperor’s death. Some even speculated that he died onboard the Death Star. He worked as a mercenary, hiring for the highest bidder, for the next two years. Vex also chose to keep his armor and weaponry, knowing full well that it would help him find a new position in life, despite their easy telltale sign of his former profession. Soon, he found a new calling, under the employ of one Keldon Tyfus. Following his admission into the Shadow Imperium, Vex immediately got to work in reforming the Crimson Guard. He enlisted Kakon as the first member, whom later branched off on his own to reform the Morgukai. Karria Shaann and Rhygent Helkin immediately followed suit, and became dedicated members since their inditing. When Emperor Palpatine was reborn on Byss, Vex was the first in the Imperium to receive word, via communications channels used by the Royal Guard, and immediately petitioned Tyfus to join him in dedicating their forces toward the rebirth of the Empire under the Emperor's reign. Tyfus was hesitant at first, refusing to believe Palpatine's resurrection was possible, but after Vex's departure and personal verification of the rumor, he was willing to contribute his forces to the Emperor's return. When Damascus killed Palpatine, both Vex and Tyfus branded the man a traitor to the Empire, and pulled their support from his regime, to which point Salder swore death to any and all those involved in the plot, and remained unconvinced that Damascus acted alone, even after the death of the new self-declared Emperor and his most loyal followers. Around 15 ABY, Vex and his Crimson Guard were responsible for monitoring Mandalore and unearthing evidence of the return of the Mandalorian Protectors. Further still, they discovered that their leader was Cadden Blackthorne, a name that carried a great deal of weight in the Empire for both his service record and his activities following his abandoning of Palpatine's regime. This news persuaded Tyfus, who was growing weary of his new allies, to use the information as leverage against Ilan Garuda, in order to relieve the tension the Sith Lord was placing on him. Pleased with this turn of events, Tyfus called the Crimson Guard back to Testria to assign them a new task. Eventually, after the reorganization of the Shadow Imperium into the Crimson Empire, Tyfus reluctantly swore his fealty to Darth Trayus, who had previously overthrew the Sith Brotherhood. When the Crimson Guard was subsequently assigned by Tyfus to become his personal bodyguards, Vex began to question Tyfus and the Crimson Guard's new position under his employ. The Call of Vengeance In late 18 ABY, Vex opted to take the remaining Crimson Guard and abandon the Crimson Empire, having come to the conclusion that any involved in Trayus's plot would meet an untimely demise. During the Guard's escape from Testria, Vex became aware of his latent Force sensitivity, though it wasn't until after their escape, when he was reflecting on the events that transpired, that he came to this realization. Now fugitives to the Crimson Empire and branded outlaws of the Galactic Empire, as well as a common enemy of the New Republic merely due to his previous affiliations, Vex had the Crimson Guard lay low on the planet Yinchorr in the now-abandoned Imperial Royal Guard Academy. After several discussions, the Guard decided to send Antar Valen out into the galaxy to look for work, in order to pay for needed supplies and maintain their activities on the planet. Vex utilized their new headquarters to their advantage, and began to instruct his Guardsmen on a far more rigorous training regimen, hoping to restructure the group into the feared Royal Guards. He knew it was only a matter of time before they were found, and he wanted his people to be ready to repel any attacks by any one of their potential adversaries. Furthermore, Vex knew that they would likely be found within a year's time, and so pushed the Guardsmen beyond their limits in their new training, in hopes that it would bring them to the level he was aiming for in less time than it took him. These activities would be cut short, however, when Vex received very disturbing news from an unexpected visitor. Two weeks into their training, a ship arrived carrying a dieing Royal Guardsman. As the man drew his final breaths, he managed to tell Vex of a conspiracy dated back to Palpatine's final death: the Emperor's clones were sabotaged, and the man responsible for such an act was still alive. His last words uttered the traitor's name: Selic Veras. Vex knew this name very well, and, enraged, swore to avenge the Emperor's death, and bring proper justice to the traitor. After properly tending to the dead Royal Guardsman, Vex, knowing he could not bring down the traitor himself, got to work and sent out a message to an old friend, who he knew would want to be involved in bringing an end to Selic. Skills Vex is a formidable combatant, earning himself a place amongst the most skilled of Royal Guardsmen. He has also been set apart from the other Royal Guardsmen as, in some instances, a more superior adversary than most. Furthermore, he is also a highly skilled pilot and mechanic, and is fairly capable of patching up and treating most types of non-fatal wounds. Finally, he has a superior sense of strategic and tactical prowess, making him a very dangerous foe both on and off the battlefield. Weaponry Aside from the rudimentary training in the meter-long force pike, Vex also has extensive training experience in the following weapons: *Vibro Double-Blade (with retractable blades) *Blackhand Annihilator – Reserve In addition to this extensive combat training experience, Vex is also proficient in the arts of Teräs Käsi, Hijkata, and Echani art. Also, all of Vex Salder’s conventional melee weapons are crafted of a cortosis weave, something he had taken great precautions to have done. Category:Characters Category:Cadden Category:Galactic Empire Category:Shadow Imperium Category:Crimson Empire Category:Crimson Guard